Aftab Ahmed first came to the attention of the Bangladeshi selectors after scoring 79 against South Africa in the Under-19 World Cup in 2002, and the following year he was pitched into the Test squad to face England, despite having failed to impress in two earlier warm-up matches. His selection was initially viewed with suspicion by the local media, who regarded Aftab as something of a one-day cowboy, and indeed his desire to belt the cover off the ball has resulted in some all-too-brief performances. His potential, however, is plain to see, and his selection for the seminal tour of England early in 2005 was evidence of the selectors' faith, which he repaid at Chester-le-Street with a defiant, carefree 82 not out, the highest score for Bangladesh in the Test series. He also finished off the historic one-day win over Australia at Cardiff, smashing Jason Gillespie for four and six to seal victory. His medium-pacers have potential as well, as he showed with an astonishing one-day haul of 5 for 31 against New Zealand in November 2004. He led Bangladesh to a 3-2 series victory with an unbeaten 81 in the final match against Zimbabwe in January 2005. Since then, barring that run-a-ball 82 at the Riverside, he's hit a lean patch: he hasn't reached 30 in a Test, while in one-dayers he hit a couple of fifties against the Kenyans early in 2006, but failed to impress against Australia. On the tours of Zimbabwe and Kenya in August, Aftab delighted everyone with his all-out attack attitude but often threw it away when he promised so much more. He struck five fifties in eleven innings against Zimbabwe and Scotland since the Champions Trophy in October but a century still eludes him. He reached a career best of 92 against Zimbabwe in February 2007. However, his international career was put on hold when he joined the Bangladesh exodus to the rebel Indian Cricket League and was banned for ten years. After one season, he quit the ICL and made himself available for selection again. His first assignment after his recall was the tri-series at home in January 2010.
Andrew Miller December 2009